Burt Jones

Early life and education

Jones is a sixth generation Georgian from Jackson, Georgia.

Jones is a 1998 graduate of Woodward Academy and a 2002 graduate of the University of Georgia, where he played football and received a bachelor's of arts in history. He was co-captain of the 2002 Georgia Bulldogs football team, which won the SEC Championship after a twenty-year title drought.

Business career

An oil executive, he is heir to the Jones Petroleum Company.

In 2004, Jones founded JP Capital & Insurance, Inc., an insurance business in Jackson, Georgia. The insurance and lending company is a subsidiary of Jones Petroleum Co.

Political career

Butts County Water and Sewage Authority

Jones served as a member of the board of directors of the Butts County Water and Sewage Authority from 2009 to 2021. Following Jones's departure, his father, Bill Jones, took his spot on the board of directors. While a board member, he voted to raise water and sewer rates.

Georgia State Senate

In June 2012, Jones announced his intent to challenge three term incumbent State Senator Johnny Grant. Jones, who framed himself as an outsider businessman ultimately defeated Grant 52.7% to 47.3% in the 2012 Republican Party primary.

Jones was elected a member of the state senate in 2012, and he took office in 2013. During his time in the state Senate, Jones served as the chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee, chairman of the Banking & Financial Institutions Committee, and as a member of the Appropriations and Transportation Committees. While a member, Jones voted to establish a flat income tax rate, prohibit teaching about systemic racism in schools, and he co-sponsored legislation to allow biblical classes to be taught in high schools.

He was a member of the Georgia Freedom Caucus.

In 2015, Jones was the first member of the Georgia General Assembly to endorse businessman Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. "Sometimes it might not be the most politically correct — as they say — thing to say, but he doesn't back down and he doesn't apologize for it", Jones said in August 2015. "I think people are looking for that in a leader now."

In 2016, Jones, along with State Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs) led the push on Senate Bill 168 to declare "adoptable dog" as the official state dog of Georgia despite pushback from his Republican colleagues. Jones has also been a vocal leader on increasing funding for animal shelters and abused dog rescue efforts throughout the state of Georgia.

In 2016, Jones supported Senate Bill 309, which allows for student athletes to express their personal religious beliefs during sporting events and enables high schools, which receive state funding, to participate in athletic competitions with schools outside of their designated conference. It was signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal on May 3, 2016.

Upon final passage of the law, Jones was quoted as saying: "I'm grateful Governor Deal signed this legislation into law. Expressing ones beliefs and principles is a right that no one should be denied. It is also a huge step in the right direction to let athletes compete with members outside of their conference because it will increase the drive, skill level and motivation for athletes around the state. With increased competition, they will be motivated to do the best they can to stay at the top of their game."

Campaign for lieutenant governor

Jones announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in August 2021. During his campaign, Jones continued to cast doubt on the validity of the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump endorsed Jones. Jones voiced support for same-sex marriage during his campaign.

In 2022, the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission fined Jones $1,000 for filming and tweeting a campaign video the previous year before filing the paperwork necessary to accept campaign contributions and make campaign consent orders. The Commission's consent order said that Jones's campaign had accepted responsibility for the error. Between February and May 2022, Jones used his family's private aircraft to travel to campaign events, without reporting the flights' costs as expenses and in-kind contributions on disclosure forms; Jones' campaign said that he intended to report the costs as a single line item after the primary election was over, although Georgia law requires expenses and contributions to be disclosed as they are made.

In the May 2022 Republican primary, Jones defeated Butch Miller, with Jones receiving 50.1% of the vote, Miller 31.1%, Mack McGregor 11.3%, and Jeanne Seaver 7.5%. Obtaining a majority, he narrowly avoided a runoff election. Of Georgia's 159 counties, Jones received the most votes in 153 counties, and Miller received the most votes in six counties. He went on to defeat Democratic nominee Charlie Bailey in the November 8 general election, by 5%. Jones was sworn in on January 9, 2023.

Lieutenant governor

Following his swearing in, Jones laid out his legislative agenda for the 2023 session. Included was seeking out extra funding for K-12 school counselors, eliminating the state income tax, and no further restrictions on abortion following the 2019 law. During the 2023 state budget negotiations, Jones pushed for a new hospital regulations that would allow counties with fewer than 50,000 residents "to build hospitals without first obtaining a costly 'certificate of need' from state regulators." One such hospital was potentially going to be built in Butts County, Jones' hometown, on land owned by Bill Jones, Burt's father. Ultimately the provision was not included, and the state budget passed the state Senate on March 29, 2023.

Jones wrote a letter to Sonny Perdue, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia inquiring as to how much USG funding was devoted to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the state university system.

In Jones's letter to Perdue, he said: "In light of concerns you and other officials from the University System have expressed about the potential need to raise tuition or cut programs and services that are currently offered, I would like to learn more about how the University System spends the funds it receives."

Jones's words came in response to a $66 million slate of cuts to the state college program as part of the 2023 budget that Perdue felt as harmful.

During the 2025 legislative session, Jones and Senator Greg Dolezal led support on Senate Bill 1, the Riley Gaines Act.

Senate Bill 1 was based on legislative findings relating to the work of the Senate Special Committee on the Protection of Women's Sports.

The Riley Gaines Act specifically aims to restrict transgender student-athletes from participating in women's sports and mandates separate restrooms and locker rooms based on assigned sex at birth. Upon passage, Georgia joined 26 other states that ban transgender student-athletes from participating in women's sports and from using locker rooms of their preferred gender.

2026 gubernatorial campaign

Jones was a candidate in the Republican primary in the 2026 Georgia gubernatorial election, with an endorsement from President Donald Trump. The primary race featured an advertising battle back and forth between Jones and opponent Rick Jackson, the two frontrunners in race. On May 19, 2026, Jones received 38% of the vote in the Republican primary, the largest fraction of any Republican candidate. Since Georgia requires a candidate to receive over 50% of the vote to win, Jones faced Jackson in a Republican runoff election on June 16, 2026. Despite endorsements from Trump and the outgoing governor, Brian Kemp, Jones lost the runoff to Jackson.

Electoral history